Plan Your Trip
Month by Month
February
Winter sees fewer crowds and lower prices along with abundant rainfall, particularly in the north. Coastal temperatures are cool but mild, while inland there are frigid days. Many resorts remain shuttered until spring.
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Carnaval
Portugal’s Carnaval features much merrymaking in the pre-Lenten celebrations. Loulé boasts the best parades, but Lisbon, Nazaré and Viana do Castelo all throw a respectable bash.
zFantasporto
Porto's world-renowned two-week international festival (www.fantasporto.com) celebrates fantasy, horror and just plain weird films.
zEssência do Vinho
Oenophiles are in their element at this wine gathering (www.essenciadovinhoporto.com), held in late February in the sublime setting of Palácio da Bolsa. Some 3000 wines from 350 producers are available for tasting.
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Best Festivals
Carnaval, February
Queima das Fitas, May
Serralves em Festa, May
Festa de São João, June
Fado no Castelo, June
March
March days are rainy and chilly in much of Portugal, though the south sees more sunshine. Prices remain low, and travellers are few and far between.
zFestival Internacional do Chocolate
For several days early in the month Óbidos celebrates the sweet temptation of the cacao bean (www.festivalchocolate.cm-obidos.pt).
April
Spring arrives, bringing warmer temperatures and abundant sunshine in both the north and the south. Late April sees a profusion of wild flowers in the south.
zSemana Santa
The build-up to Easter is magnificent in the Minho’s saintly Braga. During Holy Week, barefoot penitents process through the streets, past rows of makeshift altars, with an explosion of jubilation at the cathedral on the eve of Easter.
May
Lovely sunny weather and the lack of peak-season crowds make May an ideal time to visit. The beaches of the Algarve awake from their slumber and see a smattering of travellers passing through.
zQueima das Fitas
Join the mayhem of the Burning of the Ribbons at the University of Coimbra (Portugal’s Oxford), as students celebrate the end of the academic year with concerts, a parade and copious amounts of drinking (www.queimadasfitas.org).
zFesta das Cruzes
Barcelos turns into a fairground of flags, flowers, coloured lights and open-air concerts at the Festival of the Crosses. The biggest days are 1 to 3 May. Monsanto, in the Beiras, also celebrates, with singing and dancing beside a medieval castle.
zFesta do Mar
Celebrating the age-old love of the sea (and the patron saints of fishers), this lively festival brings a flotilla of fishing boats to Nazaré’s harbour, as well as a colourful parade of elaborately decorated floats. There’s plenty of eating and drinking.
zFátima Romaris
Hundreds of thousands make the pilgrimage to Fátima each year to commemorate the apparitions of the Virgin that occurred on 13 May 1917. The pilgrimage also happens in October (12 and 13).
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Serralves em Festa
This huge cultural event (www.serralvesemfesta.com) runs for 40 hours non-stop over one weekend in late May. Parque de Serralves hosts the main events, with concerts, avant-garde theatre and kids' activities. Other open-air events happen all over town.
June
Early summer is one of the liveliest times to visit, as the festival calendar is packed. Warm, sunny days are the norm, and while tourism picks up, the hordes have yet to arrive.
3Fado no Castelo
Lisbon’s love affair with fado reaches a high point at this annual songfest held at the cinematic Castelo de São Jorge over three evenings in June.
zFesta do Corpo de Deus
This religious fest happens all across northern Portugal on Corpus Christi but is liveliest in Monção, with an old-fashioned medieval fair, theatrical shows and over-the-top processions.
3Festival Med
Loulé’s world-music festival (www.festivalmed.pt), held over three days, brings more than 50 bands playing an incredible variety of music. World cuisine accompanies the global beats.
zFesta de São João
St John is the favourite up north, where Porto, Braga and Vila do Conde celebrate with elaborate processions, music and feasting, while folks go around whacking each other with plastic hammers.
zFestas Populares
Celebrating the feast days of São João and São Pedro, Évora hosts a lively 12-day event that kicks off in late June. There’s a traditional fairground, art exhibitions, gourmet food and drink, cultural events and sporting competitions.
July
The summer heat arrives, bringing sunseekers who pack the resorts of the Algarve. Lisbon and Porto also swell with crowds and prices peak in July and August.
3Festival Internacional de Folclore
The week-long International Folk Festival in late July brings costumed dancers and traditional groups to Porto.
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Mercado Medieval
Don your armour and head to the castle grounds for this lively two-week medieval fair (www.mercadomedievalobidos.pt) in Óbidos. Attractions include wandering minstrels, jousting matches and plenty of grog. Other medieval fairs are held in Silves and other castle towns.
August
The mercury shoots up in August, with sweltering days best spent at the beach. This is Portugal’s busiest tourist month, and reserving ahead is essential.
zFestival do Marisco
Seafood-lovers should not miss this grand culinary fest (www.festivaldomarisco.com) in Olhão. Highlights include regional specialities such as chargrilled fish, caldeirada (fish stew) and cataplana (a kind of Portuguese paella); there’s also live music.
3Folkfaro
A musician’s treat, Folkfaro (www.folkfaro.com) brings local and international folk performers to the city of Faro for staged and impromptu performances across town. Street fairs accompany the event.
3Noites Ritual Rock
Towards the end of summer, Porto hosts a free weekend-long rock bash that sees up-and-coming bands from around Portugal work big crowds at the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal.
zFesta da Ria
Aveiro celebrates its canals and moliceiros (boats) in late August. Highlights include folk dancing and a moliceiro race, plus competitions for the best moliceiro murals.